Baking pan unit



April 27, 1937.

A. T. MACDONALD 2,078,716

BAKING PAN UNIT Filed Jan. 25, 1955 amen Mot,

Patented Apr. I 27, 1937 BAKING PAN UNIT Archibald T. Macdonald, Southgate, Ky., assignor to The Lockwood Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 25, 1935, Serial No. 3,375

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a baking pan unit provided with protective reinforcement and bumper means.

An object of the invention is to provide such a unit having strap means connecting the pans and formed with an integral roll edge at the top embracing the outer top edges of the unit for. protecting said edges and reinforcing the unit.

Another object is to provide a reinforced pan unit of the kind described in which the strap means are formed with integral corner bumpers.

Another object is to provide such strap means having peculiarly effective and permanent attachment relationship with the pans.

Another object is to provide such a pan unit adapted for efiicient and low cost manufacture.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

20 Fig. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a pan unit provided with the strap and bumper means of the present invention.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are enlarged cross sectional views taken on the lines 22, 33, and 4-4, respectively, of Fig. 1.

It has been common heretofore to provide pan units with strap means extending around the unit beneath the top edges of the pans.

The top edges of the pans, in constructions heretofore known, have projected not only clear above the strap means but likewise outwardly and over the strap means so that said edges have been subjected to constant wear and distortion due not only to the inevitable bumping of the units with one another and with other objects but likewise to the nesting together of a plurality of pan units, such nesting inevitably resulting in rather violent contact and abrasion of one unit with another. The result in such older constructions has been that the top edges of the pan units become battered and torn and distorted from their original shapes, so that nesting of the pans in many instances has become impossible. In addition to this, it has been common to form the top edges of each pan on a continuous wire around which said top edges are rolled. The unprotected character of the top edges in the older constructions has resulted in bending and distortion of the edges to the extent that the wire has become exposed and bent so that nesting of the pans was rendered impossible.

The present invention obviates the above described ditficulties by the provision of a band iron strap embracing and connecting the pan unit and formed with an integral out turned roll edge coextensive with the top of the strap and embracing the outer top edges of the pan unit thereby reinforcing the unit and precluding the injuries above suggested. In addition to the'foregoing, the present invention provides for novel and effective corner bumpers formed integrally with the strap and further protecting the pan unit from injury.

In greater detail and with reference to the drawing, the present invention contemplates the use of a unit of baking pans l which are shown herein as of rectangular outline and formed with end folds 8 in a manner well known. The top edges of each pan, in accordance with well known construction, are rolled as at 9, Figs. 2 and about a continuous wire lfl.

In accordance with the present invention, a selected number of the pans l are embraced and connected together by a band iron strap extending around the outer walls of the pan unit. The strap is formed of suitable rigid metal and may comprise the elongated section II which extends along the ends of the pans of the unit and the section l2 which extends along the side walls of the end pans of the unit. Both sections H and [2, as seen in Fig. 2, are formed with integral out turned roll edges l3 coextensive with the straps and embracing the wire-rolled top edges of the ends of the pans and the lateral top edges of the end pans of the unit.

The strap section II, adjacent the end of each pan of the unit, is formed, as seen in Fig. 3, with a pair of oppositely directed inwardly struck tongues 14 each of which is inserted and firmly engaged beneath the adjacent end fold 8 of the pans. It will be seen in Fig. 3 that the engaged portion of the fold 8 may be formed outwardly as at [5 to lie flush with the adjacent portions of the strap section II. The peculiar relationship of the tongues I4 and the roll edge I3 of the strap section results in particularly efi'ective connection of the strap means with the pans.

It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the strap section II is carried around the corners of the pan unit and extends a short distance along the sides of the end pans of the unit, as seen at It. At the turn of the strap section I I, a vertical outwardly projecting loop member I! is formed in the strap, this loop member providing an eiiective bumper for protecting the corners of the pan unit.

The strap section l2 may be separate from the strap section II and has the roll edge portion thereof cut short as at I8 so as to meet the end of the similar roll edge of the strap section II.

The body of the strap section [2, however, is continued to the corner of the pan, being lapped over the adjacent body portion of the strap section II, the end of the latter being indicated by the dotted lines IS. The overlapping end portions of both strap section I l and I2 may be suitably fixed together suchas by spot-welding or riveting, as indicated at 20.

The pans of the unit may be suitably spaced apart and for this purpose there are provided as illustrated herein, a plurality of spacers 2|, one between each pair of pans. These spacers may be formed with rolled ends which engage the Wire rolled edges of the pans in the manner illustrated at 22, Fig. 4.

The sturdy construction and effective protection of the pan unit formed in accordance with the present invention insure a long period of use for the unit despite the rough handling that structures of this kind are normally subjected to while worn and distorted edges and nesting difliculties are substantially obviated.

Various modifications suggest themselves upon consideration of the means herein disclosed but these are believed to be comprised within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A baking pan unit comprising a set of aligned baking pans, rigid strap means connecting the pans and embracing the sides and ends of the set, said strap means being secured flat against the outer walls of the set at the top of the walls, and an out-turned roll edge integral and coextensive with the strap means and embracing the outer top edges of the set.

2. Abaking pan unit comprising a set of aligned baking pans formed with wire-rolled top edges, rigid strap means connecting the pans and embracing the sides and ends of the set, said strap means being secured flat against the outer walls of the set at the top of the walls and against the outer faces thereof, and an out-turned roll edge integral and coextensive with the strap means and embracing the outer edges of the set to provide protective reinforcement and bumper means therefor.

3. A baking pan unit comprising a set of aligned baking pans of generally rectangular outline and formed with end folds, rigid strap means embracing and connecting the pans and formed adjacent the end of each pan with a pair of inwardly struck tongues disposed one each beneath an end fold of the adjacent pan for securing the a strap means to the pans and an out-turned roll edge integral and coextensive with the strap means and embracing the outer edges of the set of pans to provide protective reinforcement and bumper means therefor.

4. A baking pan unit comprising a set of aligned baking pans, rigid strap means embracing and connecting the pans and secured to the outer -walls of the set at the top of the walls and against the outer faces thereof, integral vertically extending and outwardly projecting loop members formed in the strap means at the outer corners of the set to provide corner bumpers therefor, and an out-turned roll edge integral and coextensive with the strap means and embracing the outer edges of the set to provide protective reinforcement and bumper means therefor.

5. A baking pan unit comprising a set of aligned baking pans, rigid strap means embracing and connecting the pans and secured flat against the outer walls of the set at the top of the walls and against the outer faces thereof, and an outturned roll edge integral and coextensive with the strap means and embracing the outer edges of the set to provide protective reinforcement and bumper means therefor.

6. A baking pan unit comprising a set of pans, rigid strap means connecting and extending around all the pans and secured flat against the outer walls of the set at the top thereof, and an out-turned roll edge integral and co-extensive with the strap means and embracing the outer top edges of the set.

ARCHIBALD T. MACDONALD. 

